Had I known, you could have dry fired mine or even fired it when I was at your place. I have some semi-auto handguns, but I find myself carrying a Smith and Wesson Model 642 nearly every day. I am like you. I trust in the fact it is going to go boom when/if I need it to. My opinion in regards to hammerless: Don't screw with the trigger. I LOVE the fact it has a heavy trigger. It does NOT have a safety. I don't want it to go boom unless I make it go boom. The 642 "Airweight" is light and should treat you well. I feel in addition to a strong pull of the trigger, it is also a long pull. Just an added safety bonus in my book.